Thanks Andrew, but won't it then become a Category S or N on the registration document?

A vehicle written off and repaired will end up with a Cat of some sort on the V5. 'Normally' a write-off is dismantled for parts so ceases to exist. Your damage sounds as if it should cost less than the value of the car to repair, so if you were happy with it before the damage, think about having it repaired. A slightly-damaged rear bumper should be no big deal, so you could just keep driving the car until you get tired of seeing the damage ? :-)

When the resale value of a car gets down towards petty cash, a Cat mark on a V5 is not going to matter much. The immediate question is whether the insurers insist on a write-off.

Edited by Andrew-T on 28/02/2025 at 18:41

When my vehicle was hit by a wagon I had a dealer quote for the work which was agreed by the delivery company and they paid the bill. For new bumper, new light clusters and a bodywork repair and respray it was just £2,500.

The problem comes as soon as an accident management company gets involved. They expect new parts, they need paying, they charge stupid amounts for courtesy cars and repairs take much longer, as a result a £2,500 bodywork repair job can quickly become £7-8,000, which on an 8 year old car is enough to write it off.

If the car can still be driven I'd stop the claim, get quotes for a cheap basic repair and submit to your insurance company and get the third party to foot the bill.

Her insurance company told her that they were using the accident management company so that she wouldn't lose her no claims bonus.

There may be a fundamental flaw in how accident/claims management companies work.

AIUI they are paid by a mixture (varies by company) of fixed fee and percentage. It is in their interest to maximise the costs and hence their fee. The punter never sees this directly as the costs are paid by the insurance company - but it does end up in the insurance premium.

Hence trivial repairs take weeks, car hire costs escalate, cars are written off unnecessarily. I suspect many are "recycled" with minor cosmetic repairs completed into the s/h market to the benefit of small traders with accident management company contacts!!

I suspect many are "recycled" with minor cosmetic repairs completed into the s/h market to the benefit of small traders with accident management company contacts!!

I'm sure the industry has evolved since then, but about 40 years ago we owned for a year or two a bright blue Mini (for the teenagers to learn in) which I soon discovered had started life in white. It had been rolled on an icy road in December and the innards were put in a new shell. I think the bonnet prop was about the only white part remaining.

A few years after that it bombed past us on the M6. I was glad not to be in it.

Re-shelling is an acceptable repair method, usually resulting in a better car than immediately pre-accident - however modern cars have so much equipment needing transfer to a new shell that it's almost always cost-prohibitive and no longer done.